


The Old House

by imademon



Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV 2018)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Drugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-07 01:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16398908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imademon/pseuds/imademon
Summary: An evening during Luke and Nell Crain's teenage years, from The Haunting of Hill House 2018.





	The Old House

"Did someone take cash out of my purse?" Aunt Janet asked, trying to sound casual and calm just as the kids started piling dinner on their plates. She had her suspicions about who'd taken the money, but was more than willing to give whoever it was the opportunity to own up to it. 

He hadn't before, and he didn't now. Luke was just glad Steve didn't live at home anymore. He had a habit of saying things that pointed the finger square at him, whereas his sisters would look down at their laps and wouldn't say a word. Sometimes Nell would even take the fall. He hated that she did that, but he knew that if he told Aunt Janet the truth she'd send him away or make him see a therapist. He just wanted to keep it all at bay, not open the flood gates. 

Nell knew all of that. She knew he wasn't just a trouble maker. He was scared, just like she was. On this particular occasion at the table, Nell told Aunt Janet she'd borrowed money for food when she went out with a friend, and she'd pay her back. She apologized to Aunt Janet and Luke apologized to her after dinner.

"At least she always goes easy on you," Luke said, grabbing a can of beer out from underneath his bed. A hiding place for his hiding place. 

"Yeah, I guess. I hate the way she looks at me though. And I hate that you feel like you have to lie to Aunt Janet. She loves you, you know. We all do." 

"Love doesn't have anything to do with it. Not in this family. Doesn't fix anything." Luke said, chugging the rest of his beer and getting another. "I'm gonna go out for a bit. I'll be back." 

"Be safe."

"You know it." Luke hugged Nell and went out the window. Aunt Janet didn't have to know he was going out.

Luke walked three miles to an old shell of a house where he and other students at his school would meet a classmate to buy weed. The house was small, looking nothing like Hill House except for the way old houses share a loose resemblance. Luke had tried to get the boy to meet him elsewhere on several occasions, to no avail. So he stood in the overgrown walkway to the house's front door, shivering and anxious, waiting for his classmate. 

The wind made the rotten wood of the old house creak, and Luke felt something behind him, in the doorway. He turned to see the tall man with the bowler hat, hovering just above the ground and moving slowly toward him. He tried to back up, his heart racing, and he stumbled over a crack in the path, letting out a cry when he hit the ground.

At that very moment, Nell let out a scream from her room. For her, it was the Bent Neck Lady standing at the foot of her bed, and her feeling that Luke too had seen something in that very moment only heightened her terror. Shirley came running, like she always did, and sat on the bed beside Nell to calm her and remind her that it was just a nightmare. Nell would nod and say she knew it was, but that it hadn't always been a nightmare. Years later still hoping she'd be believed. Hoping that would make the Bent Neck Lady go away. 

Shirley rebuffed Nell's claims, and tucked her hair behind her ear softly, only then realizing that Luke hadn't come running to check on Nell too. 

"Where's Luke?" She sighed, tired of the question.

"He just went out, he'll be back soon. He doesn't want to be out right now anyway." Nell replied.

Luke was still on the ground, shaking, when his classmate showed up.

"You're late." He said, as the boy helped him to his feet.

"Yeah, well, you're drunk." The boy replied.

"Not yet, I'm not. I just tripped, is all. C'mon. Here's the cash, give me what I'm here for so I can get the hell out of this shit hole." He said, his hands in his hoodie and his shoulders raised up in a constant shrug. 

"All right, all right. Here," He slipped Luke the bag of pot and he put it in the pocket of his jeans. He wasn't going to stand around in the unruly front yard to take a hit and risk seeing more than he'd already seen. So he left without saying another word to his school acquaintance and smoked and counted on the walk home. One to seven over and over. He felt like he could just barely breathe again by the time he got back. 

He checked in on Nell on the way to his room. Her light was out but he knew she was still awake. So when he opened her door a crack, he paused long enough for her to look up and see that he was home safe, they both gave each other a wave and Luke closed her door again and went to his room. 

One more beer, then sleep. Then maybe he could sleep.


End file.
